What Is Covered in the California Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course?

One of the first steps to getting your California real estate license is to complete the state-required pre-licensing course. The course consists of three 45-hour modules:

1. Real Estate Principles

2. Real Estate Practice

3. A state-approved elective

Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll learn from the California real estate pre-licensing course.

What Does the California Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course Cover?

Each of your three course modules is designed to teach you the skills you’ll need to become a successful real estate agent.

1. Real Estate Principles

This course introduces the basic concepts of real estate. You’ll get an introduction to topics like:

• Responsibilities of agents and brokers representing buyers and sellers

• Types of real estate ownership

• The process of transferring property between parties

• How to estimate the value of a property

• How many square feet are in an acre (seriously — this will come up!)

2. Real Estate Practice

This course explores more of the day-to-day operations of being a real estate agent. You’ll learn about:

• Techniques for managing clients

• Negotiating on behalf of your clients

• Recognizing implicit biases and upholding Fair Housing Laws

• Understanding contracts

• The importance of marketing and lead generation

3. The Elective

What you learn in your elective depends on which elective you take.

For example, if you sign up for AceableAgent’s online CA pre-license course, the Legal Aspects of Real Estate elective is included in the price. So you’ll learn things like:

• How to avoid serious legal headaches as an agent

• How to draft legally binding, enforceable contracts

• Which disclosures sellers have to make by law

The California Department of Real Estate (DRE) has approved the following courses as elective options:

• Legal Aspects of Real Estate

• Real Estate Appraisal

• Property Management

• Real Estate Finance

• Real Estate Economics

• Real Estate Office Administration

• General Accounting

• Business Law

• Escrows

• Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending

• Computer Applications in Real Estate

• Common Interest Developments

How Long Does the California Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course Take?

The DRE requires students to spend at least 2.5 weeks on each course. So, you could potentially be done with your CA real estate course in less than two months with a self-paced course.

But don’t stress if it takes you longer. Self-paced courses are flexible enough to work around your current day job or family responsibilities (just like the flexibility of the real estate industry). So you can start now and work toward your real estate license as time allows.

How to Choose a California Course Provider

You can take the California real estate pre-licensing education course from any DRE-approved provider, including:

1. Any of California’s community colleges

2. Any of California’s accredited universities

3. Approved private real estate schools, like AceableAgent.

Choosing the right course provider is important because experiences vary widely from one provider to the next. Make sure you pay attention to:

• Access to the course materials. Many schools allow you to complete your coursework online instead of traveling to a campus. But some schools require a PC or laptop to properly view the materials. With AceableAgent’s mobile-first design, you can study from your phone or tablet, making the materials more accessible.

• The presentation. Some schools just email you a PDF version of the textbooks and leave you to it. AceableAgent provides an engaging learning experience, with bite-sized lessons presented as a mix of audio, video, text, and images to make the content easier to remember.

• Exam prep. To get your license, you’ll have to pass the state real estate exam. The DRE charges a $100 exam fee every time you take the test. So you want a school that offers strong exam prep materials, like AceableAgent.

• Support. AceableAgent students get support from instructors via email, text, phone, or chat. So you’re never alone!

Start Your CA Real Estate Pre-Licensing Course Today!

Are you ready to begin your journey to becoming a licensed real estate agent? Enroll in your California real estate pre-licensing course With AceableAgent. You’ll be able to begin your coursework today and get on your way to launching your new real estate career!